List of Figures xiv List of Tables xv Preface xvi The Contributors xvi About the Book xvii Acknowledgements xviii Contributors' Biographies xx Part I Changing Couple and Family Relationships 1 1 Global Changes in Marriage, Parenting and Family Life: An Overview 5 Angela Abela and Janet Walker 2 Cohabitation or Marriage? Contemporary Living Arrangements in the West 16 Turid Noack, Eva Bernhardt and Kenneth Aarskaug Wiik 3 'Alone Together' Marriages and 'Living Apart Together' Relationships 31 Paul R. Amato and Lydia N. Hayes 4 Marriage and Divorce in the Western World 46 Jan Pryor 5 Divorce in the Arab Gulf Countries: A Major Challenge to Family and Society 59 Layachi Anser 6 Couple and Family Dynamics and Escalations in Violence 74 Justine van Lawick 7 Loving Diversity: Living in Intercultural Couple Relationships 87 Danika N. Hiew, W. Kim Halford and Shuang Liu 8 Growing Older in a Changing World: Opportunities and Challenges for Family Life and Social Support 100 John Bond Part II Parenthood, Parenting and Family Life 115 9 The Transition to Parenthood: Choices and Responsibilities 119 Janet Walker 10 Why Fewer Babies? Understanding and Responding to Low Fertility in Europe 136 Maria Letizia Tanturri 11 Mothers, Fathers, Families and Child Development 151 Gabriela Misca and Jo Smith 12 Raising Children in Single-Parent Families 166 Jan M. Nicholson, Fabrizio D'Esposito, Nina Lucas and Elizabeth M. Westrupp 13 Sexual Orientation, Marriage and Parenthood: A Global Perspective 189 Charlotte J. Patterson, Rachel G.
Riskind and Samantha L. Tornello 14 Parenting Teenagers 203 John Coleman 15 Working Families: Who Cares? 215 Simon B. Burnett, Jonathan Swan and Cary Cooper 16 Children and Divorce in World Perspective 227 Paul R. Amato and Lisa M. Boyd Part III Global Impacts on Family Life 245 17 Globalisation and Family Life 249 Melinda Mills 18 The Internet and Its Implications for Children, Parents and Family Relationships 262 Monica T. Whitty 19 Immigrant Families Coming to the West 275 Ubaldo Martínez Veiga 20 The 'Quiet Migration': Challenges for Families with Children Adopted Internationally 288 Gabriela Misca 21 Families Living on the Margin in Affluent Societies 302 Angela Abela and Marie-Cécile Renoux 22 Mate Selection and Marriage Stability in the Maghreb 317 Sabah Ayachi 23 Demographic Change and Its Impact on Relationships in Japan and East Asia 328 James M. Raymo 24 I Say a Little Prayer for You: Do Prayers Matter in Marriage and Family Life? 341 Frank D. Fincham Part IV Looking to the Future: The Role of States in Supporting Families 355 25 Why Should States Have an Interest in Making Families Stronger? 357 Ruth Farrugia 26 Making a Global Case for Family Policy: How Families Support Society and How Policies Support Families 369 Karen Bogenschneider 27 Partnership, Parenting and Protecting Children's Best Interests: Implications for Policy and Practice 382 Janet Walker and Angela Abela Index 393.